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Share a positive story, anecdote or compliment about someone else in this hobby

P0CKETCHANGEP0CKETCHANGE Posts: 3,027 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited July 31, 2023 10:48AM in U.S. Coin Forum

There’s too much negativity going around here lately. The universe of serious coin collectors is small and all the nonsense and accusations only weaken our community.

Let’s create some good karma by sharing appreciation for other folks who have helped us, in ways small or large, in our journey in this hobby. No rules other than keeping it positive.

~~~~
Here’s mine:

When I was a YN and very early in my collecting career, I started buying an occasional coin on eBay.

I won a common Mercury dime in auction and traded a few messages with the seller—those were the earlier days of eBay where there was more direct communication. I don’t recall why, but I mentioned to the seller that I was a YN that recently started getting more interested in coins, which he seemed happy to hear.

When my shipment arrived, it included not only the dime I’d won, but also an unexpected surprise: a PCGS capped bust quarter in VF30! It became my oldest coin by over a century. I was elated!

While I don’t recall who that seller was, or if he’s still around, I’ll never forget the generosity that someone selflessly showed me in this hobby. It’s a good reminder to do more to pay it forward.

Nothing is as expensive as free money.

Comments

  • CircCamCircCam Posts: 316 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Shoutout to Michael at Original US coins. He has such a great attitude and presence, is always kind to my kid at shows, has great material and is always willing to share knowledge.

  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 44,552 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I sold some gold to a couple, over the last week. A few hours later, the husband called and wanted to thank me. I said, " Thanks, but you already thanked me when you left". He said; ..." well we really want to thank you".

    I know that's positive, but it made me suspicious :open_mouth:

  • NicNic Posts: 3,405 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @TwoSides2aCoin said:
    On another note, I called. Rick S. ( Colonel Jessup) about a week ago with questions. He is such a great guy. He has always taken my calls. It's no wonder he and Mr Eureka are friends. Some dealers have always taken the time to share insight and knowledge. There are a lot of prominent guys in this business who would take any of our calls to help.
    That's a coin fact.

    Rick and Andy are two of the best!

    My positive story.

  • SoCalBigMarkSoCalBigMark Posts: 2,798 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Jerryboy rented a cabin on Lake George and invited a bunch of people here for a fantastic party.

  • JBKJBK Posts: 16,357 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Speaking of the late Joe Levine, when I received an inaugural medal that I felt I wasn't happy with he sent me another and a check to cover return postage of the first one.

    I ended up keeping both and sending him his check back as well as payment for the second medal.

  • WQuarterFreddieWQuarterFreddie Posts: 3,015 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Seriously though. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be one of the winners of the River of No Return First Discovery W quarters.

    I was so excited I took my wife to Florida for the 2020 FUN show. My favorite memory was being able to attend the invitation only PCGS luncheon where they introduced their launch of graded paper currency. They gave away graded $2 bills if I remember correctly.

    After the luncheon I was able to chat with a member of the management team who was a former grader. He took the time to explain to me what separates a MS68 from a MS67 coin and how luster is one of the more desirable traits which is determined at the time of strike. I was impressed with his knowledge and kindness for taking the time to educate me while not talking down to me.

    He also told me it is not necessary to wear gloves while handling a coin but to do your best to hold it by the edge. I told him my wife would laugh at me for wearing white cotton gloves during my CRH for W quarters. 🤣😂

    I think his name was Steve....

    Anyway, it was over 3 years ago but it made a lasting impression on me.😎

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 34,757 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JBK said:
    Speaking of the late Joe Levine, when I received an inaugural medal that I felt I wasn't happy with he sent me another and a check to cover return postage of the first one.

    I ended up keeping both and sending him his check back as well as payment for the second medal.

    Here's another Joe Levine story. I purchased a Nathanel Greene Comitia Americana Medal in one of his auctions. It was supposed to be a 19th century issue. I had some doubts at the time, but held on to it.

    Years later John Kraljevich and I were looking at the piece. He came to the conclusion that it was a modern strike that had been doctored. I contacted Joe and he took the piece back despite the fact that the auction had been several years earlier.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • TonedeafTonedeaf Posts: 244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 31, 2023 5:40PM

    I have to thank many people here, too many to list at this time, for the great knowledge and great coins posted daily. The thread about "coin collecting advise" contained a huge amount of great info (for just one thread), I have become a bit more patient and focused in what I am buying. I am aware of many more details to look for. I haven't bought as many coins lately but I am much happier with the coins that I have recently purchased. I have also bought a few numismatic books. I thank pretty much everyone here. I don't have a huge amount to add but I am happy to be part of the group! Many here have helped me and I have to think that you all have helped others also, whether it's posted here or not.

    Tonedeaf is a nickname given to me in reference to my guitar playing ability.

  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 24,667 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Chester Powderski was a local Chicago dealer who set up at Club of Illinois Numismatists meetings from the 1960s on.. He always treated the young numismatists fairly. I last saw Chester in 1986 when I attended a few meetings during visits to the Chicago area. (I first met him in early 1962). I recall reading that Chester passed away around 2003 at age 93.

    All glory is fleeting.
  • gumby1234gumby1234 Posts: 5,666 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 31, 2023 4:43PM

    Too many people to even know where to begin. There are way more good apples than bad ones in the coin collecting community. You know who you are and thanks to all the good 🍎.

    Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM

  • pursuitoflibertypursuitofliberty Posts: 7,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow! That one even caught me speechless. And that is a true rarity! :D

    Thank you @FlyingAl Really, really!

    As for you @MFeld >:)


    “We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”

    Todd - BHNC #242
  • hbarbeehbarbee Posts: 206 ✭✭✭✭

    There are far too many great dealers out there to mention them all. But for any who is involved with Early American Copper, I am sure you would be familiar with Chris Victor McCawley in Austin. He is expert in his field and a true pleasure to know and to deal with.

  • steve76020steve76020 Posts: 367 ✭✭✭

    i myself like to collect silver coins u.s. silver coins to be precise. i had occassion to buy some mexican silver some .700 some .900 any way i was admiring the coin i had purchased with an aztec king on one side and the eagle and serpant on the other. The love of my life walked into the room so i showed her the mexican coin. now guess who has quite the collection of mexican silver, my wife of course now she is an avid foriegn coin collector of the silver kind she has old 19th century german silver coins as well as turn of the century mexican silver. so my household went from housing one collector to two (hmm that looks gramatically wrong). any way my wife becoming a collector is my story thanks

  • Tom147Tom147 Posts: 1,485 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Two individuals have helped me tremendously in my pursuit of a top 5 Silver Roosevelt fb Registry set. I started with a simple ms65fb set. Somewhere along the way I moved to ms66fb and made contact with Gary ( who has a long last name which I can't pronounce ) who helped tremendously in completing my set in ms67fb. Then # 4 in the Registry. Then I found Dannie Biddle through this forum. Dannie had the then # 3 set. When he would upgrade, he'd call me with his Roosies that were now available. As he recently liquidated his set, I was able to pick up several ms67+ fb's and moved into the # 3 spot vacated by Dannie. Forever grateful to these two who are a couple of the nicest, most helpful guys I've ever met in my 59 years of collecting.

  • BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 10,016 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @WQuarterFreddie said:
    Hi, just a post to say the view from jail isn't bad. They gave me a cell with the view of the water!!!

    What, no water closet.

    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
  • BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 10,016 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Sadly, though no longer with us, I never forget to acknowledge Ed Fleischmann,James Johnson, and Jo and Warren Lindsey. The Lindseys from Dresden,Ohio. Ed and James from Sidney,Ohio. For the help I received all those years ago in cultivating my interest in error coinage. Good deeds never go unforgotten. Thanks again.

    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
  • BLUEJAYWAYBLUEJAYWAY Posts: 10,016 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @P0CKETCHANGE said:
    There’s too much negativity going around here lately. The universe of serious coin collectors is small and all the nonsense and accusations only weaken our community.

    Let’s create some good karma by sharing appreciation for other folks who have helped us, in ways small or large, in our journey in this hobby. No rules other than keeping it positive.

    ~~~~
    Here’s mine:

    When I was a YN and very early in my collecting career, I started buying an occasional coin on eBay.

    I won a common Mercury dime in auction and traded a few messages with the seller—those were the earlier days of eBay where there was more direct communication. I don’t recall why, but I mentioned to the seller that I was a YN that recently started getting more interested in coins, which he seemed happy to hear.

    When my shipment arrived, it included not only the dime I’d won, but also an unexpected surprise: a PCGS capped bust quarter in VF30! It became my oldest coin by over a century. I was elated!

    While I don’t recall who that seller was, or if he’s still around, I’ll never forget the generosity that someone selflessly showed me in this hobby. It’s a good reminder to do more to pay it forward.

    Do you still retain the gifted coin?

    Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
  • jacrispiesjacrispies Posts: 1,160 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I am currently at Stack's Bowers Professional Numismatist Program entirely funded by the generocity of the firm. If I did not have this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn and network with some of the industry's most experienced dealers, I would not have pushed forward into making numismatics a career. There are many extremely bright, young individuals here that will continue this hobby at large.

    P.S. +1 @pursuitofliberty for his friendly and thorough communication. Can't wait to meet you next week at the ANA!

    "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
    BHNC #AN-10
    JRCS #1606

  • streeterstreeter Posts: 4,312 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Many years ago I was working on a short set of 2.5 libs from 1880-1899. Some of those are scarce. I found one I was missing at Long Beach and purchased it. I was very happy to find it in a P64 holder even though I was looking for solid 65's.

    I'm walking the floor and I see Andy.... Mr. Eureka. He'll never remember the interaction. I hand him the coin. A frown comes over his face. " This coin has been played with" or similar. He holds it up to examine it in such a way that you could see how the fields had been smoothed.
    "Loose it".
    I did. Took a little bit of a beating but the education was priceless and that edu has saved me a lot of grief the last 10-15 years.
    Thank you Mr. Eureka.

    Have a nice day
  • P0CKETCHANGEP0CKETCHANGE Posts: 3,027 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BLUEJAYWAY said:

    @P0CKETCHANGE said:
    There’s too much negativity going around here lately. The universe of serious coin collectors is small and all the nonsense and accusations only weaken our community.

    Let’s create some good karma by sharing appreciation for other folks who have helped us, in ways small or large, in our journey in this hobby. No rules other than keeping it positive.

    ~~~~
    Here’s mine:

    When I was a YN and very early in my collecting career, I started buying an occasional coin on eBay.

    I won a common Mercury dime in auction and traded a few messages with the seller—those were the earlier days of eBay where there was more direct communication. I don’t recall why, but I mentioned to the seller that I was a YN that recently started getting more interested in coins, which he seemed happy to hear.

    When my shipment arrived, it included not only the dime I’d won, but also an unexpected surprise: a PCGS capped bust quarter in VF30! It became my oldest coin by over a century. I was elated!

    While I don’t recall who that seller was, or if he’s still around, I’ll never forget the generosity that someone selflessly showed me in this hobby. It’s a good reminder to do more to pay it forward.

    Do you still retain the gifted coin?

    No, I sold it many years ago, unfortunately.

    Nothing is as expensive as free money.

  • FrazFraz Posts: 2,118 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Slickcoins taught me about Adam Eckfeld.

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,694 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BillJones said:
    Years ago I placed a bid on a political token in a Joe Levine auction. When the results were posted, I found out that the lot had sold for less than I had bid. This was not the first time this had happened to me. The late Joe Levine ran a manual system and sometimes he missed bids. :s

    As it so happened, Dave Bowers won the lot. When he heard about what had happened, he sold the piece to me for the price he had paid. o:) That was very classy to say the least. :)

    Two fine gentlemen!

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,694 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @PhillyJoe said:
    I met Roger Burdette in Baltimore 2003/2004. He was giving a talk and I introduced myself. I had visited the National Archives in Philadelphia on numerous occasions and told him I had researched the RG104 records; particularly everything to do with 1964 Mint records. He told me he was working on a new book about Peace dollars. I told him I saw correspondence concerning the “1964 Dollar Project”; something he had not seen at the National Archives in Maryland. I sent him the letter. Months later, the book comes out and a copy arrives at my house. How thoughtful of him (but if you’ve met him, not surprising). I open the book and on the page where he lists credits, there’s my name. I sent him one piece of paper where others had contributed hours and volumes. A class act.

    Roger Burdette is a great asset to the numismatic community. I am happy to see that he is being given the ANA's Numismatist of the Year Award in Pittsburgh!

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • lermishlermish Posts: 3,726 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There are many people, most of them here, who have had a positive influence in my collecting and enjoyment in the hobby. A few that come to mind...

    @OriginalDan for the neverending advice and guidance regarding collecting, coin evaluation, and introduction to the larger (relatively speaking 😂) world of chopmarks.

    @ChopmarkedTrades for more of the same and for creating an amazing reference work on chopmarks that is the best coin book on my shelf.

    Noah from Numismattack and @DeplorableDan have been great friends who are always there to talk about all things coins.

    chopmarkedtradedollars.com

  • BikergeekBikergeek Posts: 575 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Since I got deep into the capped bust half dimes a few years back, one gentleman has been a particularly generous mentor: @Barndog. Nobody knows the series like he does, and he's been incredibly generous with his time and expertise. I've bounced a thousand questions off him: "what about this die crack?" or "can you validate my attribution of this coin?" or "is this one worth buying?" I always get prompt and honest answers and good advice. (Sometimes I actually take the advice! heheh). He's tipped me off to some great acquisitions, and steered me away from some that I probably would have regretted. I can't imagine my set being anywhere close to where it is today without him. Big tip o' the hat to him.

    If I tried to list all the other dealers and friends who've been helpful along the journey I could fill up a couple pages (and then be worried I'd left someone off the list). But Barndog has given so freely of his time, without expectation of return other than knowing he's coached a fellow half dime fan, that I have to say a public thanks!

    My (infrequently updated) hobby website Groovycoins.com

  • SoCalBigMarkSoCalBigMark Posts: 2,798 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Barndog will be attending the ANA show at table 1026, Dave Perkins...

  • seatedlib3991seatedlib3991 Posts: 1,094 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have responded to this question previously, but would like to promote one individual I have come across as a collector. Dick Osburn. Many years ago I called his company thinking I would buy a Seated dollar from one of his Coin World ads. Instead we ended up having a conversation that lasted about an hour. He quizzed me about my previous collecting history. He gave me a profile of what to look for with Seated Coins:; something I was just starting.
    he talked me OUT of buying any of the coins in his add because he said he knew I would be disappointed. As time progressed I did end up buying some coins from his company but have never forgotten his advice or the fact he took so much time to speak with someone who wasn't a customer at the time. James
    P.S. One piece of advice he gave was, "Try to look at each coin through the eyes of the NEXT buyer. Doesn't matter if you say you will never sell. Learn this trick and you will build a much better collection." Words I still live by.

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